Smile
by scntlla
Summary: Beauty is power; a smile is its sword. (Kaden x Hinata)


Kaden remembers the moment he fell. He recalls the summer sun, oppressive and blinding, burning their backs and sweating their skin. They scale the Eternal Stairway, careful to avoid the nesting Faceless, who lumber around mindlessly with their giant clubs in tow.

Hinata is in front of him, pumping his limbs and wiping his brow, covered in a fine layer of sweat, with his hair tied back into a tighter knot than usual. His muscles nearly glint in the sunlight, and Kaden's breath gets caught in his throat.

Then Kaden himself, the picture of grace, literally gets _caught _in the rocks, and falls over. Hinata's strong arms are the ones to anchor him, as well, with his scratchy voice resonating above him in a worried tone. "Are you alright?" he asks.

Kaden stops denying the feeling he gets when he stares at him, earthen brown gaze met with another. He sighs, tail flicking out behind them, and nods once in reply. "I'm fine _now,_" he says. "Thanks to you."

It only gets worse from there.

/

/

Battlefield practice: Kaden never liked it, as he's always one for lounging around, and only gets serious when he needs to be. He never understood it, either. How can doing the same thing over and over make you stronger? Granted, he made the jump from "weak baby fox" to "strong vulpine warrior" over the decades he's been alive, but the concept of time is different for him, and he finds the humans' efforts to be in vain.

...Well, _almost _all the humans. Hinata loves sparring more than others, and doesn't hesitate to hone his skills on the battlefield—lifting his blade to meet the eyes of the opponent, narrowing his own gaze to analyze the situation. It's common for warriors to test their mettle against one another, and sometimes it attracts onlookers like Kaden, who are curious and regard their match as a spectacle.

He sits underneath the shade of a cherry blossom tree, watching as Hinata and Oboro weigh against each other—the unspoken oath of retainers blooming between them, their rivalry over Takumi's pride on the line.

Oboro has Hinata down in three shakes and a well-placed torque, causing him to fall to the ground with a yelp.

Kaden giggles.

Hinata groans. "Ya got me," he says. "I gotta stop falling for that move every time!"

"Aw, but it's so fun watching you _fail," _she cooes, ruthless as ever. Her smile is wide as she pulls him to his feet, however. "Next time, Hinata. Until then, do something about how _predictable _your moves are. Well, predictable to a spearfighter, anyway."

Kaden takes it all in stride, but disappears before either of the two can notice him having been there for too long.

He has a plan.

/

/

He recalls the way that the youngest Hoshidan prince confides in him, albeit unwillingly. Kaden admits he has a persistence which outdoes most human efforts, solidifying his place at their side whether they like it or not. Although Takumi is the prickly type—stubborn and unyielding, afraid to admit weakness in full—his heart is in the right place, and he eventually opens up to the fox on a fateful night.

"Do you ever think about love, Kaden?"

He doesn't tense up at his words, because there is no reverent tone in Takumi's voice. Only notes of pure wonderment and curiosity. _Good, _he thinks to himself. _I don't need any more unrequited love than I already have! _

"Yeah," he says. "Why do you ask?"

"We're in a full-blown war with Nohr," Takumi reminds him. "And yet Yukimura keeps asking me if I have any 'plans' afterwards! Can you believe it? He's asking about _love _when we're out here fighting, and it's stupid!"

"Your face is red, though," Kaden points out. "Have you been thinking about someone in particular?"

"No." The prince crosses his arms, but his face doesn't stop burning up. "It doesn't matter! Who cares about love in a time of war? Does he take me for a fool?"

"Maybe he's worried," Kaden muses. He is in human form, and so he reaches out to the full moon with an outstretched hand, laughing at the way it fits in the space between his fingers. "I mean, your family situation is pretty wild, right? One day we're gonna win, so he just wants to be sure that you're steady when it happens."

"...You may have a point. Still, why worry about it now? The future is far away and we can only focus our efforts where our sights are: the present."

"So you won't forget it? I don't understand it myself, but I'm no prince." A sly smile appears on his face, and he relishes in the way that Takumi stares at him, lost and forlorn.

Right in the palm of his hand.

Kaden adds on, "You've got the world in your palm, don't you? If you fall in love with someone, they can be yours! You just gotta say the word!"

"But, if I care about someone, I don't want it to be because of _obligation. _Maybe that's good enough for Ryoma, or Hinoka, but I want it to be _real. _I want to be friends with them. I want to get to know them. I don't want something to be convenient, you know?"

"So you want to fall in love with someone that also loves you?"

"Yes."

"What about Oboro?"

And it's dangerous, using your wild card like that, but Kaden's plan has long since formed in his mind, so he sticks to it like glue. He can only hope that his intuition is right, and his words are the right ones needed to start the chain reaction.

Takumi's face goes full-blown scarlet, and he sputters some insults about how Kaden shouldn't just "say whatever comes to mind!" He turns away, eyes aimed towards the horizon, and the fox can't help but laugh.

Hook, line, and _sinker. _

/

/

"Oboro, I've got a confession to make."

"W-What's all this about?" She is fitting him with white cloth, using his perfect body as a guideline for her newest project. She has it pinned against his arm, though she almost pricks him with her needle.

He looks unbothered as he tilts his head. "Well, I'm doing you a favor right now, aren't I?"

She thinks back to the way she fended off the basara from back then, an enemy unit that managed to sneak behind their frontlines, deadly spear aimed for the beast in question. She saved him effortlessly, and he insisted on repaying her. Her last model skipped out on her when she ran out of money to pay them with, so things worked out perfectly.

Almost _too _perfectly, though she's rather flustered by his proposition and unable to through his ruse. "Yes, you are. Is something wrong?"

"Well, I'm going to confess who _I _like, so I thought it would be fun if you confessed, too!"

"What?" She staggers backward, eyes widening and face burning. "And what makes you think I'll tell you who I like—_if _I like anyone?!"

"Because it's fun? I'm not going to _tell _anyone, you know! I thought these were the types of things that humans liked gossiping about." _Please work. Please believe me. _

Her expression becomes sympathetic, and Kaden has to resist the urge to smile. "I mean, you're not wrong, but...oh, who told you that? Was it Orochi? Because I need to talk to her if that's the case!"

"Does it matter?"

"...I guess not." Oboro sighs, and invites Nishiki to sit on the sofa next to her. They've been needing a break, anyway. "You first."

"Okay!" Nishiki smiles: no hesitation. "I like Hinata!"

"Hinata?" Oboro almost gasps, but keeps her surprise down to a minimum. She would never guess in a million years that this beautiful specimen of a creature—elegant and refined in every way possible—would fall in love with that _bumbling oaf. _Even if he was a lovable, loyal oaf, he was an idiot just the same, and surely undeserving of such affections.

Then again, Oboro wasn't any better, and she realized this the moment he opened his mouth. Flustered, she musters the courage to look him in the eye, but fails. "W-Well, I guess it's only fair to say mine...I mean, you probably already know who it is!"

He plays the fool, anyway. "Azama? Subaki? Ryoma? Corrin? Oh, don't tell me you're in love with _me_—"

"No," she deadpans. "It's Lord Takumi, of course."

_I know. _"Oh, really? I know you two are close, but I didn't know you liked him that way!"

Oboro whines at his truthfulness, but answers him, all the same. "Well, I do. There, are you happy? What's the point of telling each other this, anyway? It's not like we can do anything about it. Hinata is clueless, and Takumi is too good for me."

"Whoa, what are you saying? We can definitely do something about it! We just have to work _together," _Kaden insists, pressing her just enough to feel pressured, but in a way that isn't totally oppressive. This isn't his first time masking his true intentions, after all. "Let's help each other out, yeah?"

"I can help you with Hinata, but how can you help me with Takumi?"

"I can talk to him in a way that you can't," Kaden reminds her. "You're stuck because of the retainer-master thing, right? That doesn't apply to me! And I can drop subtle, not-so-subtle hints about how you like him. Then you can give me advice for Hinata! It works out, see?"

"And if we fail?"

"Let's say the war ends this year. Peace lasts for a long time, and everyone's happy! If you're thirty years old and still single, I'll marry you, instead! How about that?"

"Great," she groans. "You're my backup plan if things go horribly south. And _thirty? _I'll be so _old _then."

"You'll be _beautiful, _just as you've always been. Only a little older," he promises her, and she can't help but smile at his sheer flattery. "Please, Oboro? If this goes well, then I'll do any favor you want. Anything at all!"

If she was more cunning, she'd take him up in a heartbeat. But Oboro is more sympathetic than she seems, and she is already convinced of his willingness that he doesn't need to go any further.

She laughs before kissing him on the cheek. "You sly fox, you got yourself a deal. Now, about Hinata…"

/

/

_Hinata is the most vulnerable in battle, _she once said to him. _Beat him in a fight and he'll start looking up to you. It's how he became so fond of Lord Takumi, after all! _

And it's solid advice, Kaden thinks. He challenged Hinata to a fight after their most recent mission, and the samurai couldn't say no. The two of them stand in the remains of a recently burned forest, with ash at their heels and smoke at their backs. It's one of many natural casualties in the war against Nohr, but they don't let the bleak surroundings bring them down any more than it should.

Hinata raises his sword, and Kaden transforms. He comes down on four legs, and shakes his body free of static before sauntering forward. Hinata likes the adrenaline coursing through him, mind racing at the thoughts of how to defeat a foe he has never had much experience fighting against. Kaden is their ally, after all, and they've never gone against each other since he joined their army. Cyrkensia feels like a far away memory, though, and Hinata controls his breathing in tandem.

Kaden makes the first move, and Hinata's eyes narrow in focus. The fox leaps forward, movements light yet sporadic, and Hinata vaguely thinks of _lightning—_the way it forks and loops wildly, unattainably bright. Kaden is the same as his body leans and angles itself, causing Hinata to fall back and anticipate, rather than initiate.

He strikes at his left after calculating the fox's movements, expecting him to arc in that direction.

Hinata blinks, and his sword slices through thin air. Kaden's laughter is hollow as it resonates behind him. While the samurai isn't one for idle chatter, the fox wastes no time as he taunts him, voice high and chilling.

"Did you forget about my illusions, Hinata?"

"I—" He doesn't answer in the time it takes for Kaden to pounce on him, but Hinata rolls out from underneath his assailing shadow, and strikes him with his sword. The movement is more desperate than it is deliberate, and Kaden dodges the leading edge of the blade with ease.

Hinata huffs. How annoying!

Kaden keeps laughing. "Missed me! Come on, you gotta do better than _that!" _

"I'll make you eat those words! Watch this!"

He jumps forward, sword drawn, an act which confuses Kaden at first. They're in the midst of battle, aren't they? Why would Hinata withdraw his sword? Careful not to slip up, Kaden steps backward, eyes locked onto the holster.

Hinata reaches for it, and Kaden leaps at him before he can draw the sword. However, he doesn't collide with his body as expected, and instead Hinata ducks downward, sliding underneath Kaden and unsheathing his sword in the same motion. Their eyes meet for a mere second before Hinata smirks, slicing at the exposed underbelly.

It works a little too well, as he sees a shower of blood, and hears Kaden's agonizing screams.

_No. _"Oh my Gods," Hinata cries out, stumbling to his feet. "Gods, I didn't mean to! Kaden! Are you okay?" The fox is hunched over, crying and screaming as bright _red _spills out from underneath him, pawing at the ground for relief. Hinata is nearly in tears, himself. "W-We need to get you to a healer, right away! Just hang on—"

"Oh, how kind of you. I owe you one!"

Hinata freezes in place. Kaden's image is before him, bleeding and weeping and seeping through, but his voice—a second _voice_—resonates from _behind, _laughing and giggling all the while. Hinata's sword is on the ground, abandoned the moment he realized his error, now reminding him of how _gullible _he can be at times.

Kaden is a shapeshifting fox capable of illusions.

The real fox is behind him now, and Hinata doesn't resist when he feels four paws press into him, shoving his body to the ground. Somehow, he landed on his back, so he doesn't have to face the ashes of his own defeat.

The bleeding Kaden—the _fake _one—disappears in an instant.

A perfectly intact fox comes into view, smiling down at him with sharpened fangs and bright eyes.

Hinata's chest feels hollow.

"Got ya," Kaden says. "I appreciate the sentiment, though. You're so sweet, Hinata!"

"You, you, you—! You're a liar!" Hinata accuses, but doesn't mean it as he ends up laughing, himself. "Okay, that was pretty cool. I didn't expect that _at all." _

"Right? Aren't I amazing?" Kaden gloats, his tail coming to a rise behind him. "But you were pretty good, yourself. You almost had me there, not gonna lie!"

"As if. I was playing into your hands this whole time."

_Oh, I wish you were in my hands. I'd take good care of you, y'know. _"Hehe, you think so?"

"Yeah. We gotta do this again sometime." Hinata smiles, unaware of Kaden's hidden intentions, and somehow making him feel guilty for that. "I won't lose again!"

"We'll see about that." Kaden giggles, but carefully steps off of Hinata's body. In the blink of an eye, he's back to being human, and his outstretched hand is warm and soft.

Hinata tries not to think about it too much as he stands to his feet—nearly collapsing into Kaden's arms all the while.

His face is red, but he chalks it up to humiliation and nothing more. "See you some other time? I'd better get back to Lord Takumi, y'know…"

Hinata expects Kaden to be sad, as the fox is honest and emotional to a fault, but instead he nods happily, in total agreement over their temporary parting.

"I'll see you," he says fatefully, as if they're meant to cross paths yet again. "Be careful on your way back."

"Y-You too."

Hinata leaves, but takes a lasting look in Kaden's direction before he goes.

The fox is gone, which makes him wonder if he was ever truly there to begin with.

/

/

"Your smile is beautiful." Kaden and Hinata have been hanging out more often than usual, ever since their little sparring match in the woods all those days ago. Kaden, eloquent as he is, manages to catch Hinata off guard, and the samurai almost chokes on his tea as a result.

He coughs before regaining his composure, setting down the teacup and staring at Kaden, incredulous. "A-Are you serious?"

"I am," he says. "Why are you so surprised?"

"I'm not surprised, I'm just—"

"Shocked?"

"Yeah!"

"So you _are _surprised."

_Oh. _"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

"Hehe, I figured! Why, though?"

"Well, it's just, things like 'beautiful' have never been about me, y'know? If you asked me what's beautiful, I'd say it would be folks like Lord Takumi. Hell, even Oboro is pretty, if you get past the ugly faces she makes—"

"If you say that around her, she'll kill you, y'know."

"I know, and that's what I mean! But, like, _me? _Beautiful? Hinata? Beautiful? I've never...really thought of myself in that way before."

"Well, you're in luck, 'cause I thought of it _for _you!" Kaden doesn't seem to think it's a big deal, and for that, Hinata is secretly grateful. He likes how easygoing the fox is. "You don't have to be so amazed, though. Even if you don't think about it, there are people who adore you! You're a lucky guy, Hinata."

His face is warm, and it isn't the tea. He pushes the tray to the side, covering his mouth with his hand, in the hopes that doing so will calm down his erratic heartbeat and hide his reddening cheeks. It's useless, however, since he's with Kaden and the fox doesn't miss a beat.

Hinata struggles to say anything in his defense. "Thanks, but you've got it all wrong."

Genuine confusion and curiosity cross over Kaden's features, and he tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

Wishing the tea was sake, instead, Hinata coughs into his hand, and pretends he's drunk.

It's the only way to say this next part without remorse.

"The beautiful one isn't me," he insists. "It's _you." _

/

/

"You want my advice? When the two of you are alone, drop the 'Lord' and just call him Takumi."

"Are you crazy? I'm his _retainer, _I can't just drop the formalities like that! It's improper, it's wrong, it's—"

"If no one is around, then does it matter? Will he care if it's just you and no one else?"

"N-No. In fact, I think he's even said as much before...but it feels so _wrong, _so I never did it. You think it'll be okay?"

"Oboro, I _know _it'll be okay. Sheesh, are all humans this jumpy, or are you and Hinata the exceptions?"

"Shut up! You wouldn't know about—wait, Hinata? Did you two get somewhere recently?"

"I still haven't done much, but he told me that I was beautiful, so I count that as a victory."

"So he has working eyes, big deal. Anyone can tell you you're beautiful."

"Trust me: _everyone _calls me beautiful. But the way he said it was...special? Cool? Different? I don't know how to describe it."

"That's—"

"If you want to know how it feels, take my advice. Drop the titles and just talk to him like a normal person! You'll see what I mean."

"For your sake, I hope you're right."

"Oh, Oboro." He smiles. "When have I ever been wrong?"

/

/

Hinata avoids Kaden, and Kaden doesn't press him, even though he desperately wants to. He thought they were doing so well lately, so why is he suddenly shy? Even going as far as to avoid eye contact, like Kaden is a medusa and not a fox—like his stare commands stone and damnation, and not the love and determination he's been known for carrying himself with.

As if Kaden is a curse, and not the blessing he was sure of himself being.

_Looks like you're right, Oboro, _he thought. _Maybe I was wrong this whole time. _

Kaden turns on his heels, and runs off to occupy himself with something else, for once.

Hinata watches him as he leaves, wondering.

_Longing._

/

/

"Kaden, can we talk?"

"Sure!"

"I, uh...sorry I've been avoiding you. I guess I'm still feeling weird about what we talked about a few days ago."

"About beauty and luck? Don't worry too much, I was just messing around, anyway."

"Oh, you were?"

"...No, I was being serious. But it's okay! You weren't being serious, and it's fine. Sometimes things don't work out, y'know?"

"Kaden—"

"So, do you want another practice fight? Ooh, or maybe you want to go to town with me? There's this perfumer who comes out with new scents every week, and today is the day that—"

Hinata pulls Kaden by the wrists, silencing his rambles with a sharp motion. Kaden almost yelps, but goes silent at the realization of how _close _to one another they are. They almost bleed into one another, and the only thing separating their boundaries is Hinata's determination, and Kaden's hesitance.

Hinata speaks first. "I thought about some stuff. I didn't _hate _our spars, you know. I liked fighting with you, and hanging out with you, and doing other stuff, too! I just—I never thought you'd even spare me the time, 'cause like, you're so _pretty _and I'm _not." _

"Hinata, I—"

"_But,_" he cut in. "But, you kept saying I was, and even though it was embarrassing, I figured you wouldn't just say things to say 'em. You were serious, weren't you?"

"I was," Kaden nearly whispers. "I was dead serious."

"And it's weird, because I'm not used to—to _this,_" Hinata mutters as he lets go of Kaden's wrists, only to motion in their general direction. "People are like this to Lord Takumi, and Oboro, and everyone else, but I've never…"

"..."

"What I'm saying is, I shouldn't have ignored you when I did. I'm sorry about that. But while I was thinking, I decided something."

"What did you decide?"

"I _like _you, Kaden. A-And, well, if you like me too, that would be good." He burns the brightest shade of red that Kaden's ever seen, leading him to wonder if all the fire was inside of Hinata this whole time—if he'd been _holding back _on him since the start.

Hinata gazes up at Nishiki with a smile so radiant that the sun seems pale, and he thinks it's just as well.

He's _always _been bright.

"If you'll have me, then I'm yours. So, will you have me?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Kaden smiles, matching Hinata's warmth with his own. To think he'd been so worried about him, and for what? For a kiss? For a lifetime full of love and happiness? For bright smiles and happy days to come?

Regardless of the answer, Kaden leans in, until their noses touch, and they're one step away from melting into each other.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes."

He takes Hinata's lips between his own, claiming what is his and surrendering what he owns in the same, sweet breath. Hinata doesn't let up, either, and holds Kaden's face with firm delicacy, going in for more, and more, _and more. _

They smile all the while.

It only gets better from here.

/

/

"We can have a _double _wedding! Or, at least, matching wedding outfits. Lord Takumi's reception is not to be outdone by anybody, not even by _you. _Oh, I'm thinking white and blue. Maybe red? It'll go with Nishiki's hair the best. Maybe black, so we can break the convention, you know! Ooh, and we'll have flowers, lots of flowers. We're gonna need a lot of help, so maybe I can convince Subaki to…"

"How long has she been planning this?" Kaden dares to ask.

"Since I confessed," Takumi mutters. "You two just _had _to go and announce your relationship, too, didn't you?"

"Sorry, Lord Takumi," Hinata says while squeezing Kaden's hand. "Can't help it! It's so nice, y'know?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Well, we're in this together."

"In what?" Kaden blinks. "I'm not following."

"And we need to start the fitting for the wedding outfits!" Oboro sets her sights on the three men, and Kaden is horrified to realize that Hinata and Takumi have somehow _disappeared, _leaving him high and dry in the air.

In her _sights. _She giggles, slowly approaching him with a maniacal grin.

He gulps. "O-Oboro? What are you doing?"

"The other two are gone, and we need to start fitting. You're _first, _Kaden. Lucky you."

Oh, Hinata is so blessed that Kaden loves him, _unconditionally. _

Because this is _definitely_ a condition of hers.

He smiles, wavering. "Lucky me!"


End file.
